The purpose of the study was to determine the relationship among selected situational and demographic factors and the adoption of approaches to six specific landscape practices. A survey instrument, the Florida Lawn and Landscape Survey, was developed and mailed to 900 Florida residents in 17 counties who had participated in environmental landscape educational programs conducted by the Florida Cooperative Extension Service (FCES). Four hundred participants were Master Gardener volunteers; 500 were members of the general public. An 83% response rate was attained.
The data from this study revealed the following demographic profile of the "typical" FCES client seeking environmental landscape information. Participants were college-educated, female, 56 years old or older, Florida residents for over 10 years, residents in urban/suburban communities which were not deed restricted or gated; owners of homes/property valued between $110,000-$149,000 with yard sizes between 10,000 and 14,000 square feet, maintaining their lawns and landscapes themselves, spending 8 to 15 hours in the yard per month, spending $700 per year, and using water supplied by the city/county for irrigation.
Ninety-seven percent of the respondents recycled or reused grass clippings; 94% mowed correctly; 53% spot-treated the lawn, 20% routinely treated it, 27% did not use pesticides on the lawn; 67% spot-treated landscape plants, 4% routinely treated them, and 29% used no pesticides on landscape plants; 83% used slow-release fertilizers, 7% used quick-release fertilizers, and 11% did not use fertilizers; and 79% watered as needed, 8% watered according to a routine schedule, and 13% watered only to establish new plants.
Based on correlational and multiple regression analyses, it was concluded that five of the six landscape practices could be uniquely predicted by specific demographic and situational factors. No associations could be found in the sixth landscape practice (Handling of Grass Clippings) due to a lack of variance. Two assessments were conducted: the first included respondents who did not use pesticides, fertilizer, or water on their yards; the second excluded those respondents. In both cases, the overall mean of the adoption of all six landscape practices was related most strongly to the demographic variable of less money spent per year and the situational factor of helping the environment.
Implications for FCES horticulture program curriculum and marketing include targeting the message to the "typical" participant, as well as newcomers to the state, younger clientele, and lawn and landscape professionals. Using the Internet, videotapes, and result demonstrations were suggested as means of distributing environmental landscape information. The environmental and aesthetic benefits of using recommended landscape practices should be stressed, as well as the associated money savings.
Recommendations for further research include conducting cost-benefit analyses of environmental landscape practices, qualitative studies regarding people's perceptions of beauty and environment, analyzing the best methods of reaching newcomers and of attracting younger audiences, and additional quantitative studies on landscape practice adoption of both Extension clientele and the general public.
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